michael powell, head of the federal communications commission under president george w. bush, is now president of the national cable television association. >> many of these state-owned local utilities have often failed because of financial hardship and rarely are offering speeds that are faster or cheaper than what's provided privately. even in glasgow, kentucky the top speed is only 6 megabits per second for $36. that's hardly exceptional. it's certainly no better than what's being provided in the private market. >> reporter: where average speeds are three times as fast, claims powell and prices are falling, not rising. >> the price per megabit per second has decreased 87% since 1999. in fact in 2010, the federal communications commission conducted a survey of american citizens and 93% of respondents said they were very satisfied with their broadband experience. many cable companies have recently announced very substantial increases in speed with no accompanying increase in price. so the evidence suggests that consumers are getting real value in broadband in the united